To Kill A Mockingbird Racial Injustice Essay

Tom Robinson is wrongfully convicted of rape and eventually killed in prison, whereas Boo Radley is killed emotionally because he is not accepted by society. Since it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, it is also a sin to kill innocent souls like Tom and Boo. When Scout tries to understand why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, Miss Maudie elucidates Atticus’s opinion more clearly by stating, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy...They don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (103). Mockingbirds sing and make beautiful music; however they mimic the songs of other birds, so they are seen through others. Tom and Boo are like mockingbirds because they are subject to the perceptions of the people of Maycomb. The townspeople knew these characters based on what others said about them. Consequently, Tom and Boo do not have their own “song” and are portrayed by others’ views of them. The mockingbird emerges as a metaphor for the wrong in harming innocent and defenseless people.

“Nigger”, “Colored-folks”, “Dinge”, racial slurs used in the South in the 1900s-1960s. The disgusting souls who discriminated, judged, hated, and segregated blacks. “White men rule”. Women, their voices, barely able to say as much as a sentence. The blacks, their voices, unable to say as much as even a word, and the children, innocent and curious, saw nothing and said nothing. Harper Lee represented the horrendous acts and judgments of racism in To Kill a Mockingbird. Maycomb, Alabama, 1930s, a small town with a big story. Tom Robinson, discriminated and unequal, was seen as “just another nigger” in Maycomb. “Nigger”, “Chocolate”, “Colored”, racial slurs that began long ago, and are still used to this day. The White

Mr. Underwood, editor of The Maycomb Tribune, likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children. Tom Robinson does not harm anyone like mockingbirds. In Chapter 19, Link Deas, Tom’s employer, rises from the audience and announces that Tom has been worked for him for eight years, and Tom never causes him any trouble. Tom is always glad to help if someone is needed like mockingbirds are always singing their heart out for everyone. During the trial, Tom states that “Seemed like every time I passed by yonder she’d have some little somethin’ for me to do----choppin’kindlin’, totin’ water for her.” (Lee 218) When Atticus asks Tom if he is paid for his services, Tom says “No suh, not after she offered me a nickel the first time. I was glad to do it, Mr. Ewell didn’t seem to help her non, and neither did the chillum.” (Lee 218) Ironically, Mayella is the person who receives Tom’s services, but she is also the one who “kills” him. Accroding to Mr. Underwood, “Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” (Lee 276) Prison guards shoot Tom down with seventeen bullets on his body, and it is a sin to do

Discrimination is prevalent in the story “To Kill a Mockingbird”, the most obvious being the excessive amount of racism (Lee). Racism is the easiest to see but there are more forms of discrimination (Lee). Boo Radley is ostracized from the community when truly nobody really knows him (Lee). People discriminate Scout for being a tomboy not a lady (Lee). The last one that no one ever thinks about is how reverse racism is seen when people threaten Atticus for defending Tom Robinson in court (Lee). Discrimination in any form is a controversial topic but everyone knows that it is not right to discriminate against people.

Tom Robinson is another mockingbird figure. He was a genuinely caring person who is destroyed by his willingness to help Mayella Ewell. Just like a mockingbird, Robinson never hurt anyone. Yet, he was also persecuted by society for his kindness and his race. Tom Robinson was killed because of his kindness and the color of his skin; “ a harmless songbird that was shot down by a senseless hunter.” Lee uses the character of Tom as a mockingbird figure to express the innocence of the mockingbird and exhibit the narrow-mindedness and biased opinions of the towns folk.

Discrimination, it has been part of human nature for a long time, especially relevant subject in literature such as To Kill a Mockingbird. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the main character of Scout Finch was exposed to different types of discrimination as she grows up. Discrimination affected the lives of characters in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird because of society’s prejudicial views of race, gender, and class.

The Evils of Racism, using the Power of words, and growing up pain or pleasure are the main themes of this novel. When you are accused of something you didn't do, it's hard getting out of that situation. Especially the fact that people would side with the person based on his skin color, which was very discouraging for the opposing person. I think in the future we won't have to deal with the racial problems as we did before, because we don't discriminate each other based on skin color anymore. If you were in the shoes of Tom Robinson, how would you feel? Also how would you deal with all of the criticism thrown at you?

In court, Tom said that the reason he helped Mayella Ewell was because he “felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em ” (Lee, 197). Feeling sorry for Mayella became his only crime. After the trial, Miss Maudie sympathized with Jem, telling him that not everyone was against Tom; in fact, people like Judge Taylor, Heck Tate, and of course Atticus were for him. When Tom was shot, most of Maycomb didn’t care, but Mr. Underwood of The Maycomb Tribune “likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children” (Lee, 241). He recognized that Tom was innocent and his death was undeserved. Sheriff Heck Tate showed empathy for Boo Radley after Mr. Ewell attacked the Finch children. He says, “To my way of thinkin’, Mr. Finch, taking the one man who’s done you and this town a great service an’ draggin’ him with his shy ways into the limelight—to me, that’s a sin. It’s a sin and I’m not about to have it on my head” (Lee, 276). He knew Boo wouldn’t be able to cope with the stress of being the town’s celebrity, so he decided to pretend that Mr. Ewell fell on his own knife and the children got away by themselves. Several people in Maycomb cared for each other and looked at things from another’s point of view.

He shows this by going out of his way to help Mayella. Tom testifies, “Mr. Ewell didn’t seem to help her none (256)…” This shows his generosity as he helped her for no reward, just out of the kindness of his heart. Tom is an honest man who is prejudiced because of his skin colour. Scout realises, “It occurred to me that in their own way, Tom Robinson’s manners were as good as Atticus’s (260).” Since the community has the utmost respect for Atticus it shows that racism is the only reason they will not believe him. Lastly, Tom was killed for a crime he didn’t commit. “He likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds (323)…” As an innocent man, Tom did not deserve to be killed for this crime. Even though Tom is not guilty, because of the Maycomb’s racism his innocent life was

To conclude the novel, “to Kill A Mockingbird”. Despite being published decades ago, still portray various social injustices that occur in today's society. In the novel the black community is treated unfair, as if they are worthless and inhuman. This also happens in the u.s however, not only people of the black community are being target but people of other dark skin races are as wel. Some people cannot afford a lawyer and some aren't granted a fair trial and sometime will get no trial. This happens in the court scene involving tom robinson, even though he had evidence that proved his innocence he was still found guilty all because of his skin color. But the true injustice is the fact that there are laws that are supposed to prevent this unfair judgment in courts but

Social injustice has flooded the world and will continue to flood the world until someone stops all this evil. In Maycomb, Alabama, during the Great Depression, there is poverty and racism ruling over the South. Scout Finch has yet to realize all the evil surrounding her and her family. The evil that takes over Maycomb is the racism that lives in the hearts of its citizens. In To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, readers see a view of social injustices caused by racism through the Maycomb citizens who see the world through a veil of hypocrisy, which is shown by their actions in the way they talk down to Tom, and the truths of Maycomb’s society.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee depicts racism in the 1930’s and shows the characters had to overcome challenges because of it. The 1930’s was a difficult time to live in because of racism against African Americans and the depression, where thousands of people lost their jobs. The idea “an extraordinary challenge can sometimes make an ordinary person into a hero” shows that anyone in To Kill a Mockingbird could have been a hero, even in a time of hardships. Scout Finch, Arthur “Boo” Radley, and Atticus Finch overcame challenges in the story in order to become great heroes.

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, many minor themes are present such as gender and age. However, the largest and therefore major theme of the book is racism. All of the events and themes in the book had only one purpose, to support the theme of racism.

To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel, that offers a view of life through a young girl’s eyes. The novel is focused on two main themes which are racism and discrimination.

Tom Robinson is the most easily identifiable mockingbird in this story. Although he is a peaceful, respectful man who helps Mayella Ewell without asking for anything in return, he is falsely accused and dies tragically as a result. Mr. Underwood, Maycomb’s newspaper editor, likens Tom’s death to the “senseless slaughter of innocent songbirds by hunters and children” in the editorial he writes immediately after the Negro’s death. As shooting a mockingbird results in the loss of a sweet song-maker, the death of Tom brings no good fruit—it only satisfies the destructive racial prejudice of the South. Tom is also targeted for the same reasons that mockingbirds are targeted